2019 - 2020
CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE
CEO LETTER TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS
Integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) best practices throughout our operations has long been a critical strategy for ONEOK. From our board of directors to management to our employees, ONEOK is intentional about how we approach these important issues. We believe our success as a company is not only measured by our financials but also by how we treat our employees, engage with the communities where we operate and balance the environmental impact of our operations with the essential midstream services we provide. Our culture is one of continuous improvement, and while ESG reporting isn’t new for ONEOK, each year we work to identify opportunities to continue to enhance our ESG disclosures and performance. The commitment of our employees to safe, reliable and responsible operations resulted in ONEOK achieving our lowest ever annual incident rates for employee injuries, preventable vehicle incidents and agency reportable environmental events in 2019. We continue to invest in infrastructure to support sustainable operations. In 2019, we completed essential natural gas and natural gas liquids infrastructure in the Williston Basin to give producers the opportunity to significantly reduce the amount of natural gas being flared in the region. ONEOK’s investments in the basin have helped reduce flaring to 11% of natural gas production in May 2020 from an all-time high of 36% in 2011, and we expect further reductions this year. We continue to look for additional opportunities to reduce emissions through upgrades to legacy equipment on our systems. One example is our recently completed conversion of an approximately 13,200 horsepower natural gas-fueled compressor station in Oklahoma to run on electric power, reducing sitewide greenhouse gas emissions by more than 94%. From an investment perspective, our strong ESG performance, increased engagement and improved disclosures have led to our inclusion in approximately 30 ESG-related stock market indices, compared with 10 at the time of last year’s report. We recently took our already strong commitment to emissions transparency and reductions further by becoming members of Our Nation’s Energy Future Coalition (“ONE Future”). As a member of ONE Future, ONEOK commits to achieving lower methane emissions from our natural gas transmission and storage operations by 2025.
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This report marks our adoption of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) reporting standards. Our use of the SASB standards furthers our commitment to transparency and providing investors and all of our stakeholders with information on the topics that matter most to them. This report also includes the continued use of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards that have helped guide ONEOK’s sustainability reporting for more than a decade. The events of 2020 have certainly been disruptive but have not distracted us from being good environmental stewards. I am proud of the thoughtfulness, resilience and integrity with which our team has approached the last several months in keeping our people and assets safe while mitigating our impact on the environment. Many of our employees have been working virtually since mid-March as part of ONEOK’s response to COVID-19, but as a critical infrastructure business, numerous members of our workforce continue to report in person to operating sites. We’ve responded to COVID-19 by enacting enhanced safety protocols and resources for employees, as well as by providing financial support for our communities, which we detail further in this report. As we navigate important social issues such as racial inequity, ONEOK employees have supported each other and our communities. Diversity is a core ONEOK value, and our framework for implementing diversity, inclusion and education throughout our company strives to honor our commitment. But we can all do better. ONEOK has responded to recent events with additional programming, including offering virtual group counseling to employees and providing virtual venues for employees to participate in and learn from honest conversations about race, inequality and a path forward. Challenging market and societal conditions can provide an opportunity to show business resiliency and a company’s true values. I believe we’re meeting this challenge head on. From an operating perspective, the extensive infrastructure we’ve built serving multiple key U.S. producing basins is still there. Our strong financial position, stable customer base and growing demand for the products we deliver provide the foundation for a resilient business built to weather volatile market conditions. From a social perspective, our focus is listening, learning and providing support to our employees and communities where we can. Our ESG journey continues, and we remain more focused than ever on continuing to improve our performance and information to our stakeholders. Thank you for your interest in ONEOK. I invite you to read this report for more of our story and welcome your feedback.
Sincerely,
Terry K. Spencer President and Chief Executive Officer
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Restored Arbuckle II Pipeline right of way in southern Oklahoma 3
5
ESG PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
7
ABOUT THE REPORT
9
ABOUT ONEOK
15
COVID-19 RESPONSE
17
GOVERNANCE
23
ENVIRONMENT
33
SAFETY AND HEALTH
39
CYBER AND PHYSICAL SECURITY
41 49
WORKFORCE COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS
51
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
53
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) STANDARDS
62
SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (SASB) REPORTING ALIGNMENT 4
ESG PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
ADOPTED SASB REPORTING STANDARDS
$9.1 million
in charitable contributions by ONEOK and the ONEOK Foundation to our communities.
Agency Reportable Environmental Event
Rate since 2018
28% of total giving supported diversity and inclusion-focused organizations.
CONTRIBUTED TO
COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORTS
5
HOURS
VOLUNTEER
VOLUNTEERS
CONTRIBUTED
MORE THAN
700 14,750 MORE THAN
TO OUR COMMUNITIES J O I N E D
DECREASE in Total Recordable Incident Rate since 2018
Included in approximately
30 ESG-related
stock market indices
87% engagement index score on ONEOK’s employee engagement survey
1.4
BCF/D NATURAL GAS
10
PROCESSING CAPACITY ADDED OVER YEARS TO HELP REDUCE WILLISTON BASIN NATURAL GAS FLARING
2019 Safety and Health:
>36,000
Leadership, Development and D&I:
>13,000 Cybersecurity:
>1,600
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ABOUT THE REPORT
Mont Belvieu fractionation facility in Texas
REPORTING SCOPE AND BOUNDARY The boundary of this report covers all ONEOK operations, unless otherwise noted. Environmental data represents 100% of ONEOK operating assets. Safety and health data represents all ONEOK employees, unless otherwise noted. This report presents the material issues and impacts during the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2019, unless otherwise noted. Reports from previous years are available online at oneok.com/sustainability/report-archive.
REPORTING STANDARDS To help guide ONEOK’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance disclosures, we reference both the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards for voluntary ESG reporting. For SASB reporting, ONEOK references the Extractives and Minerals Processing Sector – Oil and Gas Midstream (EM-MD, Version 2018-10) standard. View detailed GRI and SASB disclosures at the back of this report. 7
EXTERNAL ASSURANCE ONEOK’s Corporate Sustainability Report is prepared by a collaboration among corporate business segments with final review and approval by ONEOK executive management. We engaged an external third party to perform attest procedures for certain environmental and safety metrics disclosed in ONEOK’s Performance Data Table and in this report for the period Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2019. The external third-party report is available at oneok.com/sustainability/external-assurance.
MATERIALITY ASSESSMENT ONEOK conducted a materiality assessment in 2018 to identify the issues that matter most to our business and stakeholders. The assessment process followed the recommended practices outlined by the GRI to understand topics that reflect our company’s significant ESG impacts, or those that would substantively influence the assessment and decisions of stakeholders. We reviewed sustainability reporting frameworks, peer company reports, industry association guidance and media sources to identify industry-specific topics of significance. We then identified the materiality of issues based on the following criteria:
• Frequency a topic was raised by stakeholders. • Likelihood and ability of a topic to impact our business objectives. • How the business’ performance around a topic affects stakeholders. As part of this process, we led a workshop to validate the material findings and identify topics that are most critical to the success of our business and stakeholder interests. We also periodically review the alignment of the results with ONEOK’s strategic plans.
Material ESG topics identified include (in alphabetical order): ENVIRONMENTAL • Air emissions. • Ecological impact. • Effluent management. • Energy management. • Environmental compliance. • Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate change. • Producer flaring. • Product stewardship. • Remediation and decommissioning. • Spills and releases. • Waste management. • Water supply and compliance.
SOCIAL • Attraction and retention. • Contractor and supplier management. • Diversity and inclusion. • Human capital development. • Human rights. • Labor management relations. • Occupational health and safety. • Pipeline and process safety. • Security practices. • Stakeholder engagement.
GOVERNANCE • Board leadership and diversity. • Community investments. • Comprehensive enterprise risk management. • Corporate compliance and ethics. • Corporate governance. • Customer policy. • Investor engagement. • Political advocacy. • Public policy. • Shareholder relations. • Tax policy.
CONTACT ANALYST CONTACT
MEDIA CONTACT
Megan Patterson, manager – investor relations 918-561-5325 | megan.patterson@oneok.com
Brad Borror, manager – communications 918-588-7582 | brad.borror@oneok.com
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ABOUT ONEOK Demicks Lake natural gas processing plant in North Dakota
NYSE: OKE
ONEOK, Inc. is a leading midstream service provider and owner of one of the nation’s premier natural gas liquids (NGL) systems, connecting NGL supply in the Rocky Mountain, Mid-Continent and Permian regions with key market centers and an extensive network of natural gas gathering, processing, storage and transportation assets. ONEOK is a FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is included in the S&P 500.
OUR VALUES ETHICS: Our actions are founded on trust, honesty, integrity and respect through open communications and adherence to the highest standards of personal, professional and business ethics.
QUALITY: Our commitment to quality drives us to continuously improve in our quest for excellence.
DIVERSITY: We value diversity, as well as the dignity and worth of each employee, and believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is critical to our continued success.
VALUE: We are committed to creating value for all stakeholders—employees, customers, investors and our communities—through the optimum development and utilization of our resources.
SERVICE: We provide responsive, flexible service to customers and commit to preserving the environment, providing a safe work environment and improving the quality of life for employees where they live and work. 9
Our success is not only measured by our financials but also by how we treat our employees, engage with the communities where we operate and balance the environmental impact of our operations with the essential midstream services we provide. —Terr y Spencer, President and Chief Executive Officer
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ABOUT ONEOK
DELIVERING THE ENERGY THAT IMPROVES OUR LIVES As a leading midstream energy service provider, ONEOK plays a vital role in transporting the natural gas and NGLs that help meet global energy demand and touch our lives every day. The energy products we transport are used to heat homes, generate electricity and to create end-use products that help us lead healthier, safer and more connected lives.
NATURAL GAS
Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, providing inexpensive, reliable and clean energy.
COMMON USES
Heating and Cooking
Electricity Generation
Transportation Fuel
Industrial/ Manufacturing
NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS (NGLs)
NGLs—ethane, propane, butane and natural gasoline—are hydrocarbons that are frequently produced along with natural gas and crude oil. NGLs have many end-uses, from home heating and transportation fuel to feedstocks for a range of products that improve our daily lives and promote economic growth, including:
HEALTH CARE PRODUCTS
Syringes
Eyeglasses
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
HEATING, COOKING AND TRANSPORTATION FUEL
NGLs provide developing nations access to safer, cleaner energy. ADDITIONAL USES
Recyclable food packaging critical in reducing food waste
Building Materials 11
Lightweight vehicle components and batteries
Clothing, technology and athletic equipment
Industrial/manufacturing and energy infrastructure
Williston Basin Powder River Basin
Denver-Julesburg Basin
STACK & SCOOP Plays
Permian Basin
ONEOK BUSINESS SEGMENTS NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS: Provides gathering, fractionation, transportation, marketing and storage services linking key NGL market centers to end users, including petrochemical facilities.
NATURAL GAS GATHERING AND PROCESSING: Provides gathering, compression, treating and processing services to producers.
NATURAL GAS PIPELINES: Provides natural gas transportation and storage services, and direct connectivity to end-use markets, including power plants, natural gas utilities and large industrial consumers. 12
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT ONEOK is committed to ongoing engagement with our stakeholders. We work to build constructive relationships with our diverse stakeholder groups and to operate our businesses in a manner that recognizes the ESG expectations of those groups. Some of these key stakeholders and examples of how we engage with them are described below.
Key Stakeholder Group
Engagement Examples
Additional Information
Communities and Landowners
• Public safety awareness programs such as 811 Call Before You Dig. • Opportunities for one-on-one meetings and community open house events prior to project construction. • Post-construction landowner follow-ups to restore and maintain right of way. • Employee volunteer network. • Financial contributions through the ONEOK Foundation and corporate contributions. • Executive management and employee representation on community foundations and boards.
Highlight: ONEOK committed approximately $600,000 to support COVID-19 relief efforts across our operations in 2020. Highlight: ONEOK, or a representative, pursues contact with all landowners where new project construction will be located. During 2019, ONEOK contacted approximately 2,600 landowners as part of its pipeline project outreach. More information:
Customers
• Regular dialogue and meetings. • Customer satisfaction surveys. • Customer appreciation events.
Highlight: ONEOK uses a variety of engagement methods such as meetings, phone calls, events and outings to foster sustainable relationships with our customers. During 2019, we engaged with more than 95% of customers in all three of our business segments – natural gas liquids, natural gas pipelines, and natural gas gathering and processing.
Employees and Contractors
• Executive management employee meetings across our operations. • Business resource groups. • Mentoring programs. • Employee surveys and focus groups. • Appreciation events. • Employee Assistance Program. • Whistleblower hotline.
Highlight: ONEOK completed an employee engagement survey in 2019 with an 82% participation rate. Based on data from 130 companies and more than 4 million survey respondents, ONEOK scored at or higher than the benchmark on approximately 95% of questions. ONEOK’s Diversity and Inclusion team also surveyed group members specifically on their perception of ESG topics and ONEOK’s performance. More information:
• Active Government Relations team with representation in all states where we operate and Washington, D.C. • Ongoing dialogue with regulators and policymakers. • Frequent engagement throughout capital-growth project construction. • Emergency response coordination and training drills.
Highlight: ONEOK participates on advisory committees such as the North Dakota Gas Capture Task Force to offer industry perspectives and help provide solutions to public issues. More information:
• Engagement with representatives of Indigenous communities, such as tribal historic preservation officers, to review project plans. • Participation in industry events promoting dialogue between energy companies and Indigenous groups. • Employee resource group facilitates educational opportunities and encourages open dialogue.
Highlight: Leaders from ONEOK’s Indigenous/Native American Resource Group participated in a national tribal engagement workshop hosted by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), where industry and tribal leaders discussed opportunities for continued engagement and collaboration. More information:
Governments and Regulatory Agencies
Indigenous/Native American People
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• oneok.com/public-awareness/public-awareness-andpipeline-safety
• oneok.com/sustainability/covid-19-response • oneok.com/sustainability/community-investments
• oneok.com/sustainability/diversity-and-inclusion
• oneok.com/about-us/political-engagement
• oneok.com/sustainability/diversity-and-inclusion
Key Stakeholder Group
Engagement Examples
Additional Information
Industry Associations
• Industry association memberships. • Employee participation on boards and association committees.
Highlight: As a member of INGAA, ONEOK commits to continuously improving practices to minimize methane emissions from interstate natural gas transmission and storage operations in a prudent and environmentally responsible manner. Highlight: ONEOK joined Our Nation’s Energy Future Coalition (ONE Future), committing to lower methane emissions. More information:
• oneok.com/about-us/political-engagement • ingaa.org • onefuture.us Investors
• Executive management participation in investor conferences, roadshows and industry conferences. • Dedicated Investor Relations team holds regular meetings with investors. • Dedicated Investor Relations hotline. • Annual shareholder meeting and quarterly earnings calls. • Annual election of directors with majority voting standard.
Highlight: During 2019, members of our management team and Investor Relations group attended or hosted approximately 20 investor conferences or events and held more than 350 discussions with the financial community. More information:
• ir.oneok.com
RECENT AWARDS Our commitment to ESG performance in 2019-2020 resulted in the following recognition:
• Chairman’s Award for Safety Improvement,
• Leedey Plant, 10 years without a lost time incident,
• Project of the Year – Elk Creek Pipeline,
• Cornerstone Award,
• Platinum Verification,
• 95/100 from Human Rights Campaign,
• Panther Creek Plant, 35 years without a lost time incident,
• Excellence in ESG,
• 2019 Chemical Transportation Safety Pinnacle Award,
• Veteran Employer Champion 2019,
• 2020 Industry Leader – 1st in Energy Equipment and Services,
• 2019 Henry Bellmon Sustainability Award Overall Winner,
GPA Midstream.
Alerian AMMY Awards.
GPA Midstream Facility Safety Award. Tulsa Area United Way.
Sustainable Tulsa Scorecard Program.
Corporate Equality Index.
GPA Midstream Facility Safety Award. Union Pacific Railroad. JUST Capital.
Alerian AMMY Awards. Oklahoma Veteran Employer Champion Network. Sustainable Tulsa
ESG INDEX INCLUSION Our focus on sustainability and related performance is recognized by the investment community. As of June 2020, ONEOK was included in approximately 30 ESG-related stock market indices, including:
• Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index. • FTSE4Good Index.
• JUST U.S. Large Cap Diversified Index. • MSCI USA ESG Select Index. • S&P 500 ESG Index. 14
COVID-19 RESPONSE
The company sent packages to all employees’ homes that included a thermometer, face coverings and hand sanitizer.
TAKING ACTION
As an Essential Critical Infrastructure business, ONEOK is taking steps to manage potential impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on our employees, customers, contractors, the communities where we operate and our business. We continue to prioritize safety and health while remaining focused on providing the essential services that our customers and communities rely on us for. Highlights of some of the ways we’ve supported our stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic are below. For additional details and updates on ONEOK’s response, visit oneok.com/sustainability/covid-19-response.
EMPLOYEE AND CONTRACTOR SUPPORT • In March 2020, we instituted work-from-home procedures for all employees able to perform
their jobs off-site, and enacted enhanced safety protocols and physical distancing for critical employees and contractors continuing to work on-site.
• We provided temporary benefit adjustments, including waiving charges for virtual medical visits and COVID-19 diagnostic tests.
• We opted into the CARES Act 401(k) loan deferral and penalty-free hardship withdrawal programs for employees.
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COMMUNITY SUPPORT We pledged approximately $600,000 to support COVID-19 relief across ONEOK’s operating areas, including:
• Partnering with the North Dakota Community Foundation to create the ONEOK Hospitality Employee COVID-19 Relief Fund.
• Partnering with local organizations to create the Tulsa Restaurant Employee Relief Fund. • Continuing to evaluate support for public schools and community organizations to support those on the front line who help meet immediate needs.
BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY • We proactively postponed several capital-growth projects to enhance financial strength and flexibility during this period of market uncertainty.
• We continue to prioritize company communication, including frequent updates to our board of directors from executive management and updates from ONEOK’s president and chief executive officer to all employees.
• We maintain regular communication with the financial community.
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GOVERNANCE
OUR LEADERSHIP
ONEOK’s board of directors and management are committed to maintaining strong corporate governance practices that allocate rights and responsibilities among the board, management and investors in a manner that benefits the long-term interest of stakeholders. Corporate governance practices are designed not only to satisfy regulatory and stock exchange requirements but also to provide effective oversight and management of our company.
SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ONEOK BOARD OF DIRECTORS Provides key leadership, oversight and diverse energy industry and business expertise. • Nonexecutive board chairman; lead independent director. • Independent committee chairs – Audit, Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance. CEO AND EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT Provide overall oversight and responsibility for companywide ESG strategy and implementation. VICE PRESIDENT ENVIRONMENT, SAFETY AND HEALTH AND COMMITTEES Oversee development and implementation of sustainability strategy. • ESH Leadership Committee. • ESG Council. MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS SEGMENT LEADERS Support the integration of ESG policy and strategy into daily operations. EMPLOYEES Carry out ONEOK’s business and ESG strategy while serving as the point of contact for key company stakeholders.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS ONEOK is led by an 11-member board of directors with deep experience and diverse expertise relevant to our company’s strategy, business and industry. Our board has a long-standing commitment to corporate responsibility and sustainability, including safety and health, environmental performance, community leadership, and investment and oversight of public policy engagement.
ONEOK BOARD OF DIRECTORS DEMOGRAPHICS:
Independent
82%
Women
18%
Minority
9%
Age 60-69
73%
Age > 70
27%
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE HIGHLIGHTS • Annual elections and majority voting for directors. • A commitment to regular board refreshment and a robust director nominee selection process. • Long-standing shareholder engagement program. • Bylaws provide for proxy access by eligible shareholders. • Regular board and committee performance evaluations. • Mandatory director retirement age of 75. • Regular executive sessions of nonmanagement directors and independent directors. • Annual review of ONEOK’s strategic plan. • Risk oversight by full board and committees, including a comprehensive annual enterprise risk management process and periodic updates on specific key risks throughout the year.
• Alignment of executive compensation with total shareholder return, return on invested capital, distributable cash flow per share, and safety and environmental metrics.
• Annual succession-planning review by independent directors, including succession timing and development plan discussions with CEO and board chairman.
For additional details on corporate governance practices and board membership, see ONEOK’s 2020 Proxy Statement.
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GOVERNANCE
RISK MANAGEMENT ONEOK engages in a comprehensive enterprise risk-management (ERM) process annually to identify and manage risk. Our ERM assessment is designed to facilitate a mutual understanding between our company’s board and management regarding the effectiveness of risk-management practices and capabilities, risk exposure and guidance on when to elevate certain key risks for discussion at the board level. The program, overseen by our chief financial officer, is a key part of our annual strategic-planning process and is designed to identify, assess, monitor and manage risks that could affect our ability to fulfill business objectives or execute our corporate strategy. ONEOK’s process involves identifying and assessing a broad range of risks and developing plans to mitigate them. These risks generally relate to the strategic, operational, environmental, financial, regulatory compliance and human resources aspects of our business. The board receives periodic updates on specific key risks throughout the year. For more detailed information on ONEOK’s risk-management philosophy, see the 2020 Proxy Statement.
ESH LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE ONEOK’s Environmental, Safety and Health (ESH) Leadership Committee provides vision, leadership, direction and oversight for all ESH programs, processes and management systems. The committee is composed of senior management and subject-matter experts representing key areas of the company. An operations subcommittee co-chaired by ONEOK’s vice president of natural gas liquids operations and vice president of natural gas operations focuses on process safety oversight and opportunities. The ESH Leadership Committee has recently driven action that, among other things, includes implementing the use of severity ratings in certain ONEOK ESH metrics in order to better understand trends and drive meaningful improvements. The ESH Leadership Committee routinely provides updates to the board of directors through monthly board reports, and three of the committee members report directly to ONEOK’s chief executive officer, who is also a board member.
KEY ESH LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
• Promoting and advocating expectations for ESH and ESG excellence across our organization. • Reviewing performance trends and driving initiatives and accountability to improve performance. • Driving consistency and sharing of company best practices among business segments. • Identifying, evaluating and communicating emerging issues that may impact ESH and ESG performance.
• Supporting broad communication of ESH policies, standards and objectives, and promoting consistent companywide application.
• Facilitating improvements through oversight of the ESH management system framework. • Overseeing our company’s ESH recognition/reward programs. • Considering potential ESH and ESG risks and opportunities that could significantly impact our
company’s business strategies in connection with corporate planning and decision-making processes.
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ESG COUNCIL ONEOK formed an ESG Council in early 2019 as part of our corporate goal to continuously improve ESG performance and provide meaningful disclosures. The council, which ultimately reports to the ESH Leadership Committee, provides ONEOK with sustainability-focused vision, direction and oversight. Members include leaders from various departments across the company including Operations, Human Resources, Legal, Commercial, Corporate ESH, Government Affairs, SEC Reporting, Investor Relations and Communications. Enhanced corporate disclosure milestones since the council’s launch include posting an ESG Performance Data Table with metrics on a growing number of items to our website and adopting the use of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards for reporting financially material sustainability information.
KEY ESG COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:
• Reviewing performance trends, providing direction, defining goals and recommending initiatives to drive improvement. • Reviewing and recommending current and future ESG disclosures. • Responding to investor inquiries and rating/ranking agency reports related to ESG topics. • Reviewing and recommending corporate-level ESG policies and commitments. • Evaluating and considering future ESG investments. • Promoting ESG-related best practices. • Evaluating potential company ESG risks and opportunities. ONEOK’s vice president of environment, safety and health sits on both the ESG Council and ESH Leadership Committee and provides regular updates to the ONEOK Board of Directors on sustainability, environmental, safety and health topics. Communication includes attendance and participation as needed at board of directors and board audit committee meetings.
ESH LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
ESG COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP
Executive VP, Chief Administrative Officer
VP, Associate General Counsel and Secretary
Executive VP, Chief Operating Officer
VP, Associate General Counsel – Compliance and Ethics
Senior VP, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary
VP, Environment, Safety and Health
VP, Environment, Safety and Health
VP, Gas Supply, ONEOK Field Services
VP, Natural Gas Operations
VP, Human Resources
VP, Natural Gas Liquids Operations
VP, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs
Environmental Legal Counsel
VP, NGL Pipelines and Terminals Director, Corporate ESH and Sustainability Director, Government Relations Director, SEC Reporting Director, Sustainability Advocacy and Development
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GOVERNANCE
TAX GOVERNANCE ONEOK’s approach to tax prioritizes compliance and risk mitigation. Our overarching tax strategy, including the consideration of tax policy, standards and principles, is overseen by our chief financial officer and is embedded within our company’s business segments and financial planning function. Additionally, members of the ONEOK Board of Directors Audit Committee review tax planning efforts and taxing authority developments. We engage with multiple tax groups and taxing authorities to monitor legislation and ensure compliance. Our corporate tax activity is based within the U.S. and adheres to applicable laws at the local, state and federal levels.
ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE CODE OF BUSINESS CONDUCT AND ETHICS AND REPORTING CONCERNS ONEOK is committed to operating in an ethical manner and in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Learn more about our ethics and compliance policies at oneok.com/about-us/ethicscompliance, including:
• Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. • Non-retaliation Policy. • Whistleblower Policy. • Anti-corruption Policy. • Human Exploitation Policy. The ONEOK Hotline provides for the submission of complaints or concerns regarding improper or unethical business behavior, questionable accounting or auditing matters or other matters arising under the ONEOK Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. The Non-retaliation Policy within the Code and the ONEOK Whistleblower Policy prohibit any form of retaliation against employees for raising a concern honestly and in good faith, or truthfully participating in a company investigation. Those using the hotline have the option to report anonymously. All reports, including those of retaliation, are investigated.
ANTI-CORRUPTION AND CORPORATE COMPLIANCE The ONEOK Anti-corruption Policy reinforces our commitment to conducting business in an ethical manner and in full compliance with applicable U.S. and foreign laws. Effective training on the policy is one of the many ways that ONEOK manages corruption risks and potential fraud. All ONEOK board members complete annual corporate compliance training that covers our Anti-corruption Policy, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Securities and Insider Trading Policy, Statement of Policy Regarding Conflict of Interest and Antitrust Guidelines. Employees directly impacted by the Anti-corruption Policy must acknowledge the policy and complete in-person training every other year. This group is made up of those whose responsibilities may involve international business dealings, including those working in accounting, audit, legal, treasury, finance and commercial roles. During 2018, a total of 106 employees participated in the in-person anti-corruption training. ONEOK’s 2020 training is being conducted online due to precautions regarding COVID-19, with a total of 188 employees enrolled.
HUMAN EXPLOITATION Human exploitation traps millions of people, including children, in horrific situations around the world, including here in the U.S. Individuals who engage in human exploitation use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage and other manipulative tactics for the purpose of exploiting people, sexually and otherwise, for profit. ONEOK is committed to conducting business in an environment free from human exploitation of 21
Mont Belvieu fractionation facility in Texas
any kind and has adopted the ONEOK Human Exploitation Policy to reinforce our commitment. We expect our employees, suppliers and others with whom we do business, to respect the human rights of all people and engage in ethical labor practices that are free of child labor, forced labor and other forms of exploitation. To strengthen employee understanding and awareness around human rights and exploitation and to help clarify ONEOK’s expectations for identification and reporting of potential instances, we released a training video to all employees in April 2020. In addition to the training video, policy reminders and information are posted to our website, employee intranet and at common work areas across our operations.
SUPPLIER EXPECTATIONS Sustainable supply chain management is a priority for ONEOK, with the goal of continuous improvement and risk mitigation. We engage with suppliers annually to communicate expectations and highlight our commitment to sustainability, safety and ethical behaviors. ONEOK’s 2020 supplier expectations letter covered traditional topics (our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, conflicts of interest and anti-harassment) and included new topics (environmental, safety and health, and human rights). In 2020, we also asked our Tier 1 suppliers to acknowledge receipt, review and understanding of our supplier expectations and received 100% acknowledgement. The Tier 1 category includes service and materials suppliers that make up the top two-thirds of annual expenditures and have been identified as suppliers that will continue to provide for ONEOK in the following calendar year. Visit oneok.com/sustainability/supply-chain-management to read ONEOK’s supplier expectations letter and find more information about our supply chain management and purchasing practices. 22
ENVIRONMENT
Solar panel on an injection well at a natural gas storage facility in Oklahoma
CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP
ONEOK works to minimize the impact of our operations on the environment while maintaining safe and reliable service and following applicable environmental laws and regulations. Our efforts are largely focused on reducing emissions, land and water conservation and remediation. Using an integrated, systems-based approach to manage the environmental aspects of our operations helps us to identify, assess and control risks.
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EMISSIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE ONEOK may be subject to physical and financial risk associated with climate change. Our company’s environmental actions focus on minimizing the impact of operations on the environment while providing safe and reliable essential energy solutions for our customers. For more information on potential risks associated with climate change, see ONEOK’s 2019 Annual Report at ir.oneok.com/financial-information/annual-reports. ONEOK looks for opportunities to reduce emissions through strategic programs and initiatives, and company leadership has identified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a material area of focus. In 2020, ONEOK joined Our Nation’s Energy Future Coalition (ONE Future), a natural gas industry-led organization dedicated to voluntarily achieving meaningful reductions in methane emissions across the natural gas value chain. The coalition, made up of more than 25 natural gas companies, surpassed its original goal to lower methane emissions intensity to 1% by 2025 for the entire natural gas value chain, but continues to work toward further reducing emissions and promoting a sustainable energy future. Through the coalition, ONEOK has committed to achieve a methane emissions intensity target for our natural gas transmission and storage operations by 2025. For more information on ONE Future, visit onefuture.us. In addition to developing and maintaining an emissions inventory in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ONEOK works to reduce emissions by:
• Improving the efficiency of various pipelines, natural gas processing facilities and NGL fractionation facilities. • Evaluating opportunities and implementing, where practical, emissions control and carbon capture technologies. • Implementing best practices around equipment and engineering controls to reduce the loss of methane from facilities.
• Using electric power at many compressor stations across ONEOK’s operations, which reduces potential GHG emissions that may result from combustion in natural gas-powered compressor engines.
• Partnering with electric generation facilities transitioning from coal to natural gas-powered operations, which provides reliable service while reducing emissions.
ONEOK uses technology to support these efforts, including:
• Periodic use of optical gas imaging (OGI) cameras that rapidly scan large areas and visually pinpoint leaks in real time, enabling the fast detection of carbon emissions.
• Ultrasonic technology that uses sound frequency to identify any escaping gases. • Photoionization detectors (PIDs) and flame ionization detectors (FIDs), generally used with OGI cameras, to help detect a variety of gases, including volatile organic compounds at operating facilities.
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ENVIRONMENT
PROVIDING SOLUTIONS TO NATURAL GAS FLARING IN THE WILLISTON BASIN When producers drill for crude oil and natural gas, flaring, or the controlled burning of natural gas at the wellhead, may occur if there isn’t sufficient capacity to gather and process the natural gas and NGLs that are produced along with the crude oil. As the largest operator of midstream infrastructure in the Williston Basin, ONEOK is committed to helping producers reduce the amount of natural gas being flared by investing in infrastructure to capture, process and transport these essential products to markets. Our long-standing commitment to the region has resulted in adding nearly 1.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas processing capacity over the last 10 years, with 400 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) added in 2019 and 2020 alone. Total natural gas flaring in the region has decreased from an all-time high of 36% in September 2011 to 11% in May 2020, with additional reductions expected by year-end 2020.
REDUCING EMISSIONS IN THE MID-CONTINENT The natural gas gathering and processing segment recently completed a project to replace natural gas compressors, which pressurize natural gas and enable it to efficiently flow through pipelines, with electric equipment at ONEOK’s Lindsay, Oklahoma, compressor site. The new electric engines, which produce no combustion emissions, are expected to reduce emissions by approximately 40,000 metric tons of CO2e annually. The project reduced sitewide GHG emissions at Lindsay by more than 94% and enabled additional compressor shutdowns on ONEOK’s system.
PARTNERING TO REDUCE METHANE EMISSIONS ONEOK is a member of the Interstate Natural Gas Association (INGAA) and participates in INGAA’s commitment to continuously improving practices to minimize methane emissions from interstate natural gas transmission and storage operations in a prudent and environmentally responsible manner. INGAA member companies commit to the following: 1. Minimizing methane emissions from natural gas pipelines and pneumatic controllers. This commitment includes evaluating and implementing voluntary practices, such as those found in the EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Program, which ONEOK has participated in since 2000. 2. Minimizing methane emissions from natural gas storage wells and compressor stations. 3. Developing effective practices and sharing information. For more details on INGAA’s methane emissions commitment, see the association’s website at ingaa.org.
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ENVIRONMENTAL EVENT AND EMISSIONS DATA ONEOK uses several different metrics to track our impact on the environment. Visit oneok.com/sustainability/performance-data for details. We strive to be a zero-incident workplace, and our company’s commitment to evaluating opportunities for increasing efficiencies and emissions control is evident in continuing improvements to our Agency Reportable Environmental Event Rate (AREER). AREER is an internal environmental metric that promotes continued reduction of releases and emission events reportable to a state or federal agency and is an element of the short-term incentive program for all ONEOK employees. ONEOK has achieved AREER improvements each year since the rate was established. The 2019 AREER of 0.79 beat that year’s target of 0.95 and showed a 25% improvement over the 2018 results of 1.05. ONEOK’s 2020 AREER target is 0.71.
Percent Decrease Vs. Previou
AREER Results
1.30
0
1.23
-5%
1.05 0.79
25% DECREASE
-10%S I N C E 2 0 18 -15% -20%
2016
2017
2018
2019
-25%
2016 2017
2018
AREER is defined as the total number of releases and excess emission events that trigger a federal, state or local environmental reporting requirement (with some exceptions to account for events outside ONEOK’s control, planned maintenance and disparities in reporting requirements across the company’s operations) per 200,000 work hours.
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GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING 1 As a midstream service provider, ONEOK gathers, transports, fractionates, processes and stores hydrocarbon products and delivers those products into the marketplace. Based on 2019 EPA greenhouse gas reporting threshold levels, ONEOK reported emissions of approximately 64.2 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e).2
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Million Metric Tons (MMT) CO2e
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Scope 1
1.9 2.5 2.9 3.2 3.8
Carbon Dioxide
1.7 1.8 2.1 2.3 2.8
Methane (CO2e)
0.2 0.6 0.8 0.9 1.0
Nitrous Oxide (CO2e)
Scope 2
Scope 3
0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.002 —
— 2.1 2.6 3.0
45.9 47.5 49.6 58.1 57.4
The increase in year-over-year greenhouse gas emissions is primarily due to system expansions through new capital projects, debottlenecking and increased utilization. Scope 1 emissions as reported to the EPA under the Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. Total Scope 1 emissions, including estimates from facilities outside of the reporting rule, can be found in ONEOK’s ESG Performance Data Table.
SCOPE 1 EMISSIONS: Emissions that directly result from ONEOK’s operations, such as natural gas combustion from compressor engines and process heaters; methane and carbon dioxide that escape from operating equipment; venting sources (valves, connectors, open-ended lines, flanges, relief valves and meters); and other processes common to natural gas systems.
SCOPE 2 EMISSIONS: Indirect GHG emissions that occur from energy consumption, where the energy is generated by another entity, such as emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heat or cooling. These emissions physically occur at the utility where the energy is being generated and would be considered Scope 1 direct emissions for the utility. SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS: Emissions as reported to the EPA under the Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule that would result assuming complete combustion or oxidation of NGL products that ONEOK delivers to customers, calculated using the annual volume of each fractionated product and multiplying it by an emission factor. Products covered under the rule include ethane, propane, butane, isobutane and natural gasoline. If the products are combusted or oxidized by downstream customers, that portion would be considered Scope 1 direct emissions for the customer. Scope 3 does not include the sale of natural gas to end users.
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1
ONEOK’s operations do not result in the emitting of ozone-depleting substances, such as those used in aerosols and refrigerants, into the atmosphere.
2
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2 e) is a metric used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases and is determined by multiplying the tons of a specific greenhouse gas by its associated global-warming potential.
ADDITIONAL EMISSIONS DATA As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability and transparency, ONEOK tracks and discloses emissions data for nitrous oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) particulate matter-10 (PM10) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for all facilities required to report air emission inventories.
Thousand Tons
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
NOx
10.8 11.4 10.7 9.6 7.8
SOx
0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2
HAPs
0.7 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4
PM10
0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2
VOCs
4.8 4.0 4.1 4.7 4.3
CONSERVATION EFFORTS ONEOK uses a variety of sustainable practices to minimize and offset effects our operations and capital-growth projects may have on ecosystems and terrestrial biodiversity. Our approach to land and water management includes evaluating sites that reduce impacts; activities focused on restoring habitats affected during construction; and assessing water use and opportunities for reduction. Additional focus areas related to conservation include improving natural habitats and public use areas, employing extensive leak detection processes to monitor assets, and implementing programs to manage waste reduction, recycling and energy use.
SITE SELECTION Facility and pipeline construction planning often requires ONEOK to adopt a scalable approach to site selection and pipeline routing. We are committed to evaluating project sites and pipeline routes designed to minimize the impacts on communities and the environment, while also allowing for economic viability of the project, and safe construction and operation once complete. The environmental evaluation of a proposed project involves identification of high conservation value (HCV) factors within a proposed route that include the following:
• Threatened and endangered (T&E) species presence (federal and state listed). • Proximity to T&E species critical habitats. • Protected lands (state, federal and tribal). • Documented resources of historical or cultural significance. • Land use (e.g., forests, farmland and rangeland). • Proximity to populated areas. Wherever possible, ONEOK refrains from site selection in protected areas and areas of high conservation value. We seek to avoid and minimize impacts to sensitive resources by considering alternate locations or adjusting construction methods and site design. Preliminary route and site locations undergo extensive environmental reviews and permitting where applicable before construction begins. Our minimization approach is specific to each project and location and may include construction timing restrictions, project alteration, buffered exclusion zones and alternative construction methods. Where possible, we also co-locate projects with existing pipeline routes to limit habitat fragmentation.
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ENVIRONMENT
CONSERVING WATER RESOURCES Water use, supply and resource conservation are important components of ONEOK’s operations. By assessing water use through benchmarking and monitoring equipment, we identify opportunities for water reduction and reuse; potential inefficiencies across operations, including undetected repairs like buried leaks; and cost savings. Wherever possible, we strive to minimize water use by reclaiming it in operations processes and construction projects. During hydrostatic testing of new pipeline assets, our project teams reuse water for testing multiple pipe segments or recycle it where appropriate. Water is a valuable resource in the fractionation of NGLs. Our facilities have adopted processes to maximize water efficiency and reduce wastewater generation by recovering water for reuse. During construction, ONEOK takes proactive steps to assess and lessen potential effects to water resources. This includes a three-tiered conservation approach:
• Avoidance: In the early stages of a project, water resource data is reviewed to identify water crossings that may need to be avoided.
• Minimization: We hold employees and contractors to high standards and require them to follow what we believe to be best management practices during construction. When avoidance is not possible, we attempt to reduce impacts by narrowing the right of way and identifying the best crossing method to minimize disturbances to stream beds or surface water. We also use various environmental controls like sediment barriers, storm water filtration devices and refueling offsets, and follow regulations for stream bank stabilization and restoration.
• Mitigation: Where avoidance and minimization cannot be accommodated, we work with local, state and federal regulators to mitigate impacts appropriately. This three-tiered conservation approach was critical during the planning and construction of approximately 1,200 miles of pipeline during 2019 as part of our capital-growth projects in the Rocky Mountains, Mid-Continent and Texas Gulf Coast regions. ONEOK avoided 60% of the waterbodies and wetlands along planned pipeline routes. This included fully rerouting construction to avoid 922 waterbodies or wetlands, and using trenchless boring technology to install pipe under 342 waterbodies and wetlands without disturbing the environment above. This technique is a common form of avoidance, which greatly reduces potential temporary crossing impacts. When unable to be avoided, ONEOK uses best management practices designed to minimize any potential temporary impacts of crossing waterbodies and wetlands, including installing barriers to protect sediment from entering the waterbodies and constructing temporary bridges that allow workers and equipment to cross waterbodies with limited impact.
LEAK DETECTION Pipeline system integrity is key to our operational success. ONEOK dedicates considerable resources to the evaluation, development and implementation of leak detection systems. Leak detection methods are broadly classified into two categories:
• External leak detection methods: aerial patrol and on-site inspection. • Internal leak detection methods: pressure flow monitoring and computational pipeline monitoring. Some segments along transmission pipelines have been designated as high consequence areas (HCAs) in accordance with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) guidance and federal regulations. HCAs for hazardous liquid pipelines are defined as populated areas, drinking water sources and unusually sensitive ecological resources. ONEOK has implemented additional hazard assessment and prevention programs for HCAs that help manage asset integrity risks. 29
HABITAT RESTORATION We work closely with regulators to develop appropriate mitigation and conservation approaches that serve to offset potential environmental impacts from our projects. The restoration of habitats that may be affected during the construction of large infrastructure projects remains a key focus, and during 2019 we restored 13,700 acres of habitat. This includes determining the appropriate seed mixes and plant species in the area as well as properly separating topsoil to restore the right of way following construction. ONEOK takes into account landowner concerns during restoration and communicates restoration expectations to contractors. Arbuckle II Pipeline construction (top) and completed restoration (bottom) in southern Oklahoma
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ENVIRONMENT
Coating application on the Arbuckle II Pipeline in Oklahoma
REDUCING WASTE WITH TECHNOLOGY ONEOK has significantly reduced waste and improved reliability on pipeline construction projects by using an automated multicomponent spray technology to apply epoxy coating to pipe joints. The coating application is necessary to protect welded pipeline connections from corrosion but is traditionally applied by hand, which requires the use of liter pails and single-use application equipment. The spray application technology is faster, more reliable and produces less waste. Over the past two years, implementing the technology has eliminated:
• The use of 60,000 plastic pails. • Approximately 20% of epoxy coating waste. • Related waste associated with hand application, including brushes, rollers, mixers and gloves.
REMOTE PIPELINE MONITORING ONEOK is nearing completion on a multiyear initiative to build a remote monitoring network on our current cathodic protection system, which reduces pipeline corrosion. Installing solar-powered remote monitoring units on pipelines to monitor cathodic protection systems, rather than relying on physical monitoring, has reduced vehicle mileage by approximately 200,000 miles per year and reduced CO2 emissions by 122 tons annually. Remote monitoring also has increased system knowledge by allowing daily monitoring of locations and improved data accuracy.
WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING Continually improving waste reduction and recycling programs helps divert waste from landfills and is important to our sustainability efforts. ONEOK uses a resource management software system to streamline reporting and provide an understanding of recycled materials and waste quantities. By analyzing data in the system, we can more easily identify opportunities for reducing waste, recycling materials when possible and improving processes for more sustainable approaches to waste management. Tracking data in this single software solution has allowed for transparency and visibility in waste volumes and recycling. For data, visit oneok.com/sustainability/performance-data. 31
ENERGY USE AND MANAGEMENT ONEOK purchases and works to use electricity efficiently to operate facilities, equipment and offices across our businesses. Electricity purchases from various third-party utility providers across our operations include electricity from renewable resources, such as wind and solar, in addition to natural gas-fueled and other types of generation resources. ONEOK tracks the fuel supply from third-party electricity purchases to determine our energy usage from renewable resources.
ELECTRIC CONSUMPTION (In million megawatt-hours)
3.5
3.6
1.0
1.1
2018
2019
RENEWABLE SOURCES NONRENEWABLE SOURCES Renewable fuel sources include wind, solar, hydroelectric, biomass and other renewable resources. Nonrenewable sources include coal, natural gas, nuclear, oil and all unknown or unspecified wholesale market supplied electricity. Until the specific generation resources are known, and where the organized wholesale market is known by ONEOK’s utility providers, ONEOK electric consumption data uses generation data reported by the wholesale marketplace as a proxy. The disposition by our utility providers of any Renewable Energy Credits associated with these generation resources is undetermined.
ONEOK ENERGY STRATEGY TASK FORCE Formed in 2019, ONEOK’s Energy Strategy Task Force is made up of representatives from across the company’s sustainability, environmental, engineering and commercial optimization groups. The task force is charged with enhancing the company’s sustainability performance related to energy consumption and usage by sharing information and expertise across company business segments and helping to identify opportunities for strategic energy projects. Current focus areas for the group include: • Fuel source and electricity consumption reporting. • Renewable energy and other electric generation opportunities. • Electrification and efficiency improvements.
32
SAFET Y AND HEALTH
Natural gas pipelines interconnect facility in Oklahoma
TRAINING AND MANAGEMENT
ONEOK continuously assesses the risks employees face in their jobs and works to mitigate those risks through training, appropriate engineering controls, work procedures and other preventive safety and health programs. We evaluate these processes to identify certain focus areas and opportunities for improvement that will meet the high expectations for safety and health set by company leadership and expected by all of our stakeholders.
ESH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ONEOK’s overall operational success depends in large part on an integrated management system approach founded on continuous improvement. The company’s Environment, Safety and Health (ESH) Management System provides expectations and a framework for operating assets safely, reliably and in an environmentally sensitive manner. 33
ESH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ELEMENTS These elements establish standard operating guidelines across the company and represent risk controls that are key to successful operations and regulatory compliance. A “Plan, Do, Check and Adjust” model for continuous improvement is employed for each of the system’s 11 elements as they are executed throughout the organization.
Risk Identification and Management Identifying, assessing and managing physical risks.
Management of Change
Contractor Management
Design, Construction and Initial Startup
Emergency Management
Minimizing risk as a result of operational/ organizational changes.
Selecting qualified contractors, setting expectations and monitoring their work.
Utilizing engineering and construction standards, where appropriate, and controlling risks associated with asset startup.
Having proper emergency action plans and being prepared to execute them when warranted.
Operational Controls Managing specific operational risks to include operating procedures, asset integrity, work permitting and environmental management.
Incident Reporting and Investigation
Training and Competency
Reporting incidents both Providing the right training internally and externally, our employees need to as required, conducting competently and safely timely investigations and perform their work tasks. sharing lessons learned, as appropriate, to assist in future similar incident prevention.
Stakeholder Engagement
Information and Document Control
Assessment and Improvement
Fostering an open dialogue about our operations with both internal and external stakeholders.
Maintaining important information and documents relative to the operation of our assets and the management of associated risks.
Assessing our adherence and performance against established operating/ regulatory expectations and sharing key performance indicators, as appropriate, with stakeholders.
PROCESS AND FACILITY SAFETY MANAGEMENT ONEOK performs safety and health capability reviews that bring a multidisciplinary team of employees together to assess and consolidate the company’s safety and health management practices. These include standards and procedures around 14 process safety management (PSM) elements as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). A committee was created as an extension of the reviews to drive ongoing analysis and improvement. Employee responsibilities and expectations for each element are defined in the PSM standards. Training is required for all applicable employees, and operations procedure training is conducted every three years.
14 PROCESS SAFETY MANAGEMENT ELEMENTS • • • • • • •
Employee participation. Process safety information. Process hazard analysis. Operating procedures. Training. Contractors. Pre-startup safety review.
• • • • • • •
Mechanical integrity. Hot work permits. Management of change. Incident investigations. Emergency planning and response. Compliance audits. Trade secrets. 34
SAFET Y AND HEALTH
SAFETY AND HEALTH PERFORMANCE ONEOK uses several metrics to help monitor its safety and health performance, including rates tracking recordable incidents and preventable vehicle incidents. In 2019, company performance in both metrics was the best on record.
For additional safety and health data, visit oneok.com/sustainability/performance-data. TOTAL RECORDABLE INCIDENT RATE ONEOK reported a 2019 Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) of 0.32, outperforming the 2019 target of 0.52 and showing a 45% improvement compared with 2018 actual results of 0.58. Our 2020 TRIR target is 0.31. We have included TRIR as a part of our short-term incentive plan performance criteria for all employees since 2009. Inclusion of this important safety metric is designed to emphasize ONEOK’s commitment to safe operations and to reward safe behavior throughout the company. ONEOK documented nine recordable injuries and no recordable illnesses in 2019. During 2018, the company documented 11 recordable injuries and four recordable illnesses.
TRIR PERFORMANCE
PERCENT CHANGE (PREVIO
1.05 0.78 0.64
0.58 0.32
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 TRIR is the number of OSHA-recordable injuries and illnesses per 200,000 work hours.
35
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 -10 -20 -30 -40 -50
45% DECREASE S I N C E 2 0 18
2015 2016 2017 20
PREVENTABLE VEHICLE INCIDENT RATE Preventable Vehicle Incident Rate (PVIR) is a key indicator of employee driving performance and helps ONEOK manage safety and health risks associated with driving. ONEOK reported a 2019 PVIR of 1.04, outperforming the 2019 target of 1.05 and showing a 6% improvement compared with 2018 actual results of 1.11. Our 2020 PVIR target is 0.94.
PVIR PERFORMANCE
PERCENT CHANGE (PREVIOUS YEA
0
1.55 1.22
1.12
1.11
-5
1.04
6%
DECREASE S I N C E 2 0 18
-10 -15 -20 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
-25
2015 2016 2017 2018 2
PVIR is preventable vehicle incidents (PVIs), where the driver failed to reasonably avoid the incident, per 1 million miles driven.
PVI SEVERITY RATINGS Severity categories help leadership coach employees more effectively regarding PVIs and focus attention on preventing PVIs that have a higher likelihood of resulting in injury or damage to property. These categories are: Tier I – Fatality, hospitalization or property damage greater than $50,000. Tier II – Recordable injury, vehicle tow away, minor fire/release, property damage $25,000 – $50,000 or direct impact to process equipment. Tier III – First aid injury, vehicle driven away, property damage $3,000 – $25,000 or occurs within 10 feet of process equipment. Tier IV – No injury, minor damage (dent, scratch or ding) or property damage less than $3,000 that occurs more than 10 feet from process equipment.
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SAFET Y AND HEALTH
REDUCING RISK ON THE ROAD ONEOK uses telematics technology to promote safe driving habits of employees and to help reduce risk while on the road. This GPS and onboard diagnostics system is currently present in more than 90% of our fleet vehicles and uses audible cues to notify drivers in real-time of potentially unsafe driving behaviors such as harsh braking, harsh acceleration or speeding. The technology identifies individual driving patterns and assigns each driver a score, or report card, each month in order to identify opportunities for improvement. Senior leadership recognized 232 drivers for earning “A” report cards, or driving scores of 90% or above, for all 12 months of 2019 while also having no PVIs and traveling at least 1,000 miles each month. This was an increase over the 184 drivers who achieved this top performance mark during 2018.
SAFETY AND HEALTH TRAINING We prioritize the safety and health of our workforce and require various trainings to help equip our employees with the knowledge they need to operate safely and responsibly. Depending on the job function, ONEOK employees may each be required to complete between 60 and 80 safety and health-focused core field training requirements. Employees completed more than 36,000 total safety and health training hours during 2019. Courses included hazard communication, fire protection, hot work, atmospheric monitoring and ONEOK personal protective equipment. Core requirements also include Emergency Response Action Plan training, which must be completed every 12 months. ONEOK’s Emergency Action Plan contains information used during emergencies to protect employees, contractors, responders and assets while maximizing the safety of the public and environment. It is created in accordance with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), OSHA and EPA risk-management program regulations.
CONTRACTOR SELECTION, MANAGEMENT AND SAFETY ONEOK uses third-party contractors to assist in the construction, operation and maintenance of our facilities and assets. Contractor management is an important element of ONEOK’s ESH Management System, and we require our contractors to maintain the same high ESH performance standards that we require of our employees. ONEOK has established contractor qualification, selection and retention criteria designed to attract the most qualified companies. Each contractor is responsible for providing personnel who are appropriately screened, trained and qualified. Once selected, contractors are monitored for compliance with ESH expectations. ONEOK’s large construction projects team uses the Safety Tracking for ONEOK Major Projects (STOMP) safety tool, software that is designed to capture and monitor contractors’ ESH performance. STOMP assists ONEOK and contract employees in the prevention of injuries, equipment damage, environmental impact and facility downtime. For contractor safety statistics, visit oneok.com/sustainability/performance-data. 37
Mont Belvieu fractionation facility in Texas 38
CYBER AND PHYSICAL SECURIT Y
ONEOK Pipeline Control
PROTECTING OUR ASSETS
ONEOK takes a cross-disciplinary approach to security, using systems and procedures to protect both physical and cyber assets, and to enhance business continuity and disaster recovery preparedness. Securing company assets is critical to ONEOK’s commitments to:
• Provide safe work environments for employees and contractors.
• Act as a responsible member of the communities where we operate.
• Provide reliable service to customers. • Create value for stakeholders.
SECURITY LEADERSHIP Security at ONEOK is governed by the Security Advisory team, an executive advisory committee composed of company officers from various business segments who meet regularly to evaluate ongoing security threats, define policy, set strategy and prioritize initiatives. ONEOK’s board of directors also receives regular updates on our company’s physical and cybersecurity efforts. Our vice president of security chairs this advisory team and leads work groups responsible for cybersecurity, physical security, building operations, risk management and business continuity.
CYBERSECURITY ONEOK’s cybersecurity program generally follows the guidelines of the widely utilized National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework and focuses primarily on corporate information security, industrial control system (ICS) security and physical security. ONEOK segments its networks into subnetworks to improve performance and security, and has business continuity and disaster recovery plans in place that allow for switching to redundant backup systems, alternative forms of communication and manual operation of assets. We also work collaboratively with the FBI and other relevant law enforcement resources to address cyberthreats. Our corporate network infrastructure includes an always-on VPN that gives employees secure, quick access to their applications and data while off-site. ONEOK’s commitment to providing safe remote access and use of cloud-based technology enabled business operations to continue uninterrupted as a result of work-from-home schedules implemented amid COVID-19. 39
CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY ONEOK is an essential critical infrastructure business, and cybersecurity is a top priority for our company’s leadership and board of directors. In late 2019, ONEOK launched a new platform that provides enhanced security management and consistent secure remote access to critical assets like processing plants, fractionators, compressors, pump stations, meters and storage facilities that make up our company’s industrial control system (ICS). The new platform is the result of a multiyear initiative and is expected to roll out across all ONEOK ICS sites by 2023. It focuses on secure infrastructure, secure management, high availability and disaster recovery. The platform provides improved asset isolation and creates efficiencies when identifying and fixing potential issues.
PHYSICAL SECURITY ONEOK’s Physical and Information Security teams were combined into a single Security Team in 2019. Centralizing security intelligence has resulted in more efficient information sharing and enhanced controls. ONEOK uses technology as part of its physical security strategy. This includes video surveillance as well as access control systems that limit facility and office entry to approved individuals and provide a record of individuals in a workspace at any given time. ONEOK is working to standardize physical security technology across our operations, including deploying common ID-badge technology that enables employees to use a single badge to access multiple locations. To date, more than 1,900 employees are covered by standardized physical security, with further expansion expected.
EMPLOYEE SECURITY TRAINING We provide training to help employees recognize and avoid potential security threats. Employees operating and monitoring ONEOK ICS assets are required to complete security training that includes information about specific threat indicators in the ICS environment and best practices for identifying and responding to threats. All individuals who may have access to HIPAA-protected health information (PHI) are required to complete annual training and maintain other physical technological and procedural safeguards designed to protect the privacy and security of all PHI in accordance with our HIPAA policies and procedures manual. Additionally, all employees are encouraged to participate in our SecuritySense program, a monthly training course on a variety of security topics. During 2019, more than 70% of employees participated in the voluntary SecuritySense training program. In total, employees completed approximately 22,600 SecuritySense courses or approximately 1,600 training hours during the year.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT To practice and evaluate crisis response efforts during 2019, we conducted 11 major emergency response drills involving local law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services. Drills took place at seven natural gas pipelines facilities, two natural gas processing facilities, one natural gas liquids facility and ONEOK’s headquarters. The drills provided ONEOK and participating authorities an opportunity to test crisis response preparedness, coordinate efforts and identify areas for improvement.
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WORKFORCE
Employees in Tulsa, Oklahoma
OUR EMPLOYEES
The long-term sustainability of ONEOK’s business is dependent on our ability to attract, develop and retain a diverse group of talented employees who are driven to innovate and willing to challenge the status quo. We hire and retain high-caliber talent by creating an inclusive environment that rewards employees for their work and offers opportunities for continuing career development. In 2019, we restructured our talent management organization, bringing together the previously separate attraction and selection; organizational development; diversity and inclusion; and employee relations teams. All teams now report to the director of talent management, better aligning resources and increasing opportunities for collaboration.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT In 2019, ONEOK conducted a companywide employee engagement survey. The survey, administered by a third-party firm specializing in employee engagement and analysis, targeted key workforce topics, including trust and collaboration, work conditions and leadership. Compared with a benchmark based on data from 130 companies and more than 4 million survey respondents, ONEOK scored at or higher than the benchmark on approximately 95% of questions. ONEOK received an engagement index score of 87%, which is considered best-in-class based on market research. Company leaders reviewed survey results and identified companywide and segment-specific focus areas and action items. 41
TALENT RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Our recruitment strategy emphasizes ONEOK’s core values and commitments to our people, communities and safe and reliable operating practices. Human resources works closely with team leaders to recruit high-quality candidates for openings within their departments. During 2019, the time to fill positions reduced by approximately 30 days companywide. ONEOK prioritizes recruiting and hiring local talent when possible. As of Dec. 31, 2019, 94% of employees were residents of the state where their position was located. We also use targeted recruitment events and programming and maintain strong relationships with area technical schools, colleges and universities as part of our strategy to attract talent. ONEOK’s support of universities and technical schools in our communities includes a long-standing partnership with Langston University, the only historically Black college and university in Oklahoma. ONEOK’s relationship with Langston includes contributing to programming in important energy-industry focus areas such as accounting and information technology; career development in the form of mock interviews, resume assistance, job shadowing and internships; and financial contributions to help support student scholarships, career services and campus infrastructure improvements.
2019 RECRUITMENT AND EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
• To support veteran recruitment, ONEOK added a Military Occupational Code (MOC) Translator to the company
careers website that allows potential candidates to use military titles to search for openings at ONEOK that require similar skillsets.
• To enhance recruiting in North Dakota, a key ONEOK operating area, ONEOK’s Lonesome Creek natural gas processing plant hosted its first career open house event, inviting more than 100 local applicants for a cookout, facility tours and on-site interviews. Three applicants who attended the event were hired for open positions and area colleges attended the event to promote their energy programs to entry-level candidates looking to gain more experience.
• ONEOK representatives attended approximately 50 college campus events, including interviews, career fairs or networking events. ONEOK employed 65 interns and hired 21 new college graduates to full-time hires.
• We contributed $200,000 to support area universities and technical schools in enhancing student programs and
energy-industry key disciplines. Of that funding, 36% was geared specifically toward diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• We sponsored the Girls in Energy Day through Bismarck State College and the Women in Technology event through Texas State College. These events were geared toward introducing middle and high school-aged students to STEM careers.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS ONEOK is committed to offering a competitive total compensation package. We regularly compare compensation and benefits with peer companies and market data, making adjustments as needed to ensure compensation stays competitive. Our market-based compensation philosophy gives leaders the flexibility to adjust employee compensation to reflect experience, performance and market factors. Leaders are expected to perform annual salary reviews supported by market survey data compiled by human resources. The compensation team also assists the legal department with periodic audits and analysis of pay data including pay equity among various employee demographics.
Company-sponsored benefits are an important part of an employee’s total compensation. For a full list of benefits offered to full-time ONEOK employees, visit oneok.com/careers/benefits.
42
WORKFORCE
HELPING EMPLOYEES MEET FINANCIAL GOALS In 2019, ONEOK implemented a 401(k) plan annual increase program to help employees stay on track with retirement savings. Unless employees opt out, the program automatically increases employee contributions to the plan by 1% annually, until they reach 10%. Additionally, in 2020, ONEOK began allowing eligible participants who were no longer with our company the option to take 401(k) withdrawals on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis. The change allows participants flexibility to access funds in retirement without moving their entire account. As of May 31, 2020, approximately 96% of eligible employees participated in ONEOK’s 401(k) plan. Of those participating, 95% contributed at or above the 6% company match.
ONEOK BENEFITS HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH AND WELLNESS Maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Full-time employees: up to 240 hours of 100% paid leave for nonmedical baby bonding following birth/adoption. • Part-time employees: up to 120 hours of 100% paid leave.
Health benefits
• Medical, dental and vision plans; virtual health visits. • CareATC partnership offers company on-site (headquarters only) and near-site clinics in several of ONEOK’s operating areas.
Wellness program
• Resources, information and programs to help employees lead healthy lives. • Diabetes prevention and weight loss program covering employees and spouses/domestic partners.
FINANCIAL 401(k) plan
• Matches employee contributions up to 6% of eligible compensation. • Employees are immediately eligible to participate.
Employee stock purchase plan
• Employees may purchase ONEOK stock at a 15% discounted price up to 10% of annual base pay. • Approximately 70% of eligible employees participate in the employee stock purchase plan.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ONEOK believes that a diverse and inclusive workforce is critical to our continued success. We embed diversity and inclusion leadership development and programming throughout the organization to help create an environment where all employees know that their unique skills, abilities, experiences and identities are valued.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT ONEOK DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION EXECUTIVE COUNCIL: Serves in an advisory capacity to guide ONEOK’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Membership: • President and CEO (chair) • CFO, Treasurer and Executive VP, Strategic Planning and Corporate Affairs (vice chair) • Executive VP, Chief Administrative Officer • Executive VP, Chief Operating Officer • Senior VP, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary • VP, Human Resources DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COUNCIL: This diverse group of approximately 15 employees from across the company provides insight on how diversity and inclusion can improve ONEOK’s organizational performance, drive overall business results and ensure the company achieves all diversity-related goals. BUSINESS RESOURCE GROUPS: Employee-led business resource groups promote the development of traditionally underrepresented segments of our workforce. All employees are invited to become a supporter of one or more of these groups, and each is advised by two vice president-level executive sponsors. ONEOK Business Resource Groups: • Black/African American • Indigenous/Native American • Latinx/Hispanic American • Veterans • Women
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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION WORK GROUP: A three-person diversity and inclusion team led by our manager of diversity and inclusion supports and implements a variety of inclusion and leadership-related initiatives throughout the organization and as part of ONEOK community partnerships. In 2019, the diversity and inclusion team became part of the ONEOK organizational development group, which is included under talent management. The reorganization creates enhanced opportunities for diversity and inclusion to be incorporated into leadership training and continuing development programming.
In response to national events that have highlighted racial inequity across our country, ONEOK is offering specific diversity and inclusion programming and educational resources to employees. ONEOK is currently offering individual and group counseling, allyship workshops, an educational email series and other educational resources, and has provided virtual venues for employees to hold honest conversations about race. We continue to evaluate additional opportunities to support our diverse employee community and to ensure ONEOK remains an inclusive workplace.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ESG SURVEY ONEOK views diversity and inclusion as an important part of our long-term sustainability. In early 2020, Diversity and Inclusion Council members completed an ESG Survey designed to gather a baseline of perspectives and feedback on ONEOK’s ESG efforts to date and recommendations for possible future actions. Survey results, which included ideas for innovation as well as the importance of using focused messaging to communicate ONEOK’s commitment to ESG and its alignment with other company goals throughout the organization, were presented to ONEOK’s ESG Council to provide insight into employees’ views of ESG at the company.
Employees at the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. parade in Tulsa, Oklahoma 44
WORKFORCE
LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT Providing professional and leadership development opportunities for our workforce is critical to retaining high-performing employees and promoting a culture of continuous improvement. During 2019, ONEOK employees completed approximately 13,200 hours of training focused on leadership, professional development, and diversity and inclusion. Career path training and resources are provided through:
• Mid-year performance reviews and annual performance assessments for all employees. • Training and resources including webinars, in-person trainings, individual consultations, books and self-guided learning.
• Formal mentoring programs and leadership engagement provided through business resource groups.
TRAINING PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS • Leading High Performing Teams – 4,200 Training Hours: The launch of Leading High Performing Teams training sessions was a result of combining the diversity and inclusion and organizational development teams in 2019. The training reaches leaders across our operations and allows ONEOK to proactively facilitate deep conversations about the importance of leading inclusive teams where people feel respected, valued and heard.
• Women’s Resource Group Leadership Development Roundtable – 915 Training Hours: The popular Leadership Development Roundtable series of webinars and small group discussions hosted by our Women’s Resource Group reached more than 300 employees during 2019. Webinars are provided by the organization Be Leaderly and feature outstanding women leaders, as well as male allies, who share their top career and leadership tips and provide tools and strategies for career advancement.
• Black/African American Resource Group Mentoring Circles – 400 Training Hours: In early 2019, the Black/African American Resource Group began a group mentoring program that paired senior leaders with small groups of employees to discuss topics related to sponsorship, career management, leading from any level and more. The mentoring program continues to expand and now has eight groups, more than 80 participants and offers a new pilot program allowing employees from field locations to join discussions online.
• Executive Mentoring Sessions – 200 Training Hours: Diversity and Inclusion offered employees an opportunity to participate in small-group mentoring sessions with senior executives. Sixty-four employees participated in this opportunity to learn directly from ONEOK’s senior leaders.
• Veterans Resource Group VALOR Series – 150 Training Hours: The Veterans Resource Group launched a small-group, three-session leadership development program called VALOR (Veterans Allies Leading Organizational Readiness) hosted in both field and corporate locations.
Additional training is provided by various groups within our company focusing on topics like corporate compliance; ethics; environment, safety and health; information security; antiharassment; and human rights; or other policies.
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ONEOK WORKFORCE DATA NOTE: All 2019 data is as of Dec. 31, 2019, unless otherwise noted. 2018 data current as of April 2019, and 2017 data as of March 2018.
TOTAL EMPLOYEE WORKFORCE
EMPLOYEES BY STATE OF EMPLOYMENT 2019
2,869 2,698 2,500
Oklahoma
1,639
North Dakota
377
Texas
340
Kansas
212
Montana
93
Illinois
67
Additional States
141
Employee workforce information is based on state of employment.
2017
2018
Additional states category includes Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
2019
PAYROLL BY STATE OF RESIDENCE 2019
Oklahoma
$306,705,297
Texas
$39,539,650
North Dakota
$38,040,667
Kansas
$21,672,343
Montana
$17,109,066
Illinois
$6,160,235
Additional States
$26,596,111
Total payroll was $455.8 million in 2019 and represents a cumulative total paid throughout the year. Payroll information is based on employee state of residence. Comparing payroll and workforce information side-by-side would not necessarily be accurate because some employees live and work in different states and/or employees leave the company throughout the year. Additional states category includes Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 46
WORKFORCE
ONEOK WORKFORCE DATA NOTE: All 2019 data is as of Dec. 31, 2019, unless otherwise noted. 2018 data current as of April 2019, and 2017 data as of March 2018.
ONEOK LEADERSHIP 2017 2018 2019
OFFICERS – MINORITY OFFICERS – WOMEN MANAGEMENT – MINORITY MANAGEMENT – WOMEN
NONMANAGEMENT – MINORITY NONMANAGEMENT – WOMEN
%
0
5
10
ONEOK WORKFORCE
MINORITY
2017 2018 2019
WOMEN FIELD NONFIELD EXEMPT NONEXEMPT VETERAN % 0 47
20
40
60
80
100
15
20
25
6%
20%
26%
2019
20%
WORKFORCE BY AGE
6% AGE ≤ 25 26% AGE 26-34 28% AGE 35-44 20% AGE 45-54 20% AGE 55+
28%
6%
8%
19%
2019
45% DIRECT APPLY 22% INTERNAL HIRES 19% REFERRALS 6% SOCIAL 8% OTHER
NEW HIRES BY SOURCE
22%
45%
Includes external and internal hires – 592 total offers accepted.
EXTERNAL NEW HIRES
360
418
2017
2018
466
2019 48
COMMUNIT Y INVESTMENTS
ONEOK volunteers at an elementary school Fall Festival in Oklahoma
GIVING BACK
ONEOK works to enhance the quality of life and economic well-being in the communities where we operate through financial contributions and volunteer service that align with company values. Our community investment programs extended to more than 230 communities across our operating areas in 2019. For more details, visit oneok.com/ sustainability/community-investments.
FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS The ONEOK Foundation provides a consistent level of giving through grants and pledges to nonprofit organizations. ONEOK also provides corporate contributions, generally in the form of sponsorships, to charitable organizations and events. During 2019, ONEOK Foundation giving totaled $5.1 million, and corporate contributions totaled $4 million. Approximately $2.5 million, or 28%, of total giving supported diversity and inclusion-focused organizations, with ONEOK sponsoring more than 40 diversity and inclusion-related community events throughout the year. ONEOK continues to be a strong supporter of the United Way and the organization’s mission. Our 2019 United Way Campaign raised a total of $1.7 million through fundraising events, pledges and our company match. Nearly 1,800 employees, retirees and board members contributed to the campaign.
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29%
3% 1%
36%
% % 3% 2 1
8
%
By Focus Area: Total $5.1 million
2019
36% HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 31% COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT 29% EDUCATION 3% ARTS AND CULTURE 1% ENVIRONMENTAL
FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTIONS
By Focus Area: Total $4 million 30
%
12%
2019
CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS 14%
31%
15%
30% HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 15% CAPITAL-GROWTH PROJECTS 15% CIVIC 12% EDUCATION 8% CHAMBER 3% COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT 2% ARTS AND CULTURE 1% ENVIRONMENTAL 14% OTHER
15%
VOLUNTEER SERVICE ONEOK encourages employees to volunteer for company-sponsored projects and serve on charitable or civic boards and organizations. During 2019, more than 700 ONEOK volunteers contributed more than 14,750 volunteer hours to various causes in the communities where ONEOK operates. The service value of the hours volunteered totaled more than $375,000 based on an estimated value of $25.43 per hour of volunteer time. Volunteer totals include ONEOK employees, retirees, friends and family. To help employees increase the positive impact they make in their communities, and to further encourage giving back, we offer volunteer service grants and matching grant programs, both detailed in the table below.
ONEOK Program Volunteer Service Grant Program
Program Description Employees and retirees may earn grants for their charity of choice by volunteering for qualifying activities and recording their hours. Volunteer hours can be redeemed for a total grant of up to $500 per calendar year.
2019 Grants Awarded
2019 Financial Contributions
257 volunteer service grants
$64,250 to charitable organizations
454 matching grants
$301,102 to charitable organizations
• 20 hours = $250 grant • 40 hours = $500 grant Matching Grant Program
ONEOK provides a dollar-for-dollar match of employee, retiree and board of director contributions to eligible organizations. Employee/Director – up to $5,000 per person, per calendar year. Retiree – up to $2,500 per person, per calendar year.
COVID-19 RELIEF ONEOK has committed approximately $600,000 to support COVID-19 relief efforts, including:
• Partnering with the North Dakota Community Foundation to create the ONEOK Hospitality Employee COVID-19 Relief Fund to assist hospitality employees with immediate needs.
• A contribution to the Northwest North Dakota Community Foundation Relief Fund to support community organizations and nonprofits in Williams, Divide, McKenzie and Mountrail counties.
• Partnering with the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation and Oklahoma Restaurant Association to fund the Tulsa Restaurant Employee Relief Fund to support immediate needs of workers in the hospitality industry.
• Continuing to evaluate support for public schools and community organizations to support those on the front line who help meet immediate needs.
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GOVERNMENT REL ATIONS
U.S . Capitol
ADVOCACY AND INVOLVEMENT
ONEOK actively participates in the federal, state and local public policy processes that affect our employees, business, customers and the communities where we operate. ONEOK government relations representatives actively monitor legislative issues and regulations in more than a dozen states and in Washington, D.C., and work to educate public officials about our operations and the energy industry. Key policy issues regularly monitored by ONEOK include pipeline safety and critical infrastructure legislation, environmental policy, taxes and eminent domain laws. Part of our government relations strategy includes advocating for our business and industry by engaging with industry associations and utilizing ONEOK Employee Political Action Committee (ONEOK Employee PAC) membership and resources.
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INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS Involvement with industry associations, legislative and/or regulatory committees and other stakeholder groups strengthens ONEOK’s ability to advocate for our interests. Through involvement in these groups, we participate in discussions about policy issues related to our business and provide input from the midstream energy sector. In 2019, ONEOK was involved in 40 association groups in eight states and Washington, D.C., including energy industry associations, state chambers of commerce, environmental associations and safety stakeholder groups. For a current listing of ONEOK’s involvement, visit oneok.com/about-us/political-engagement.
ONEOK EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE ONEOK does not contribute corporate funds to political candidates but offers eligible employees the opportunity to participate in the political process by contributing to the ONEOK Employee PAC, a voluntary fund that supports candidates who promote business and the energy industry. A steering committee made up of five senior management representatives oversees all decisions and management of the ONEOK Employee PAC. A contribution committee made up of approximately 15 employees from across our operating areas oversees and approves all ONEOK Employee PAC contributions to political candidates. For a list of ONEOK Employee PAC contributions, visit oneok.com/about-us/political-engagement.
ONEOK EMPLOYEE PAC CONTRIBUTIONS 2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
State
$36,290 $69,140 $27,650 $91,320
$21,180
Federal
$17,500 $50,500 $21,500 $61,000 $13,000
Total
$53,790 $119,640 $49,150 $152,320 $34,180
100% of contributions are from employee PAC members. The ONEOK Employee PAC is registered with the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC). It operates independently of any political party and complies with all reporting requirements of the FEC and state and local laws.
Demicks Lake Natural Gas Processing Plant in North Dakota 52
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) Standards
53
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) STANDARDS GRI 102 – GENER AL DISCLOSURES GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
102-1
Name of the organization
ESG Report 9
102-2
Activities, brands, products, and services
ESG Report 11-12
102-3
Location of headquarters
ESG Report 9
102-4
Location of operations
ESG Report 12
102-5
Ownership and legal form
ESG Report 9
102-6
Markets served
ESG Report 11-12
102-7
Scale of the organization
ESG Report 46-48 2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K) 6-14, 33
102-8
Information on employees and other workers
ESG Report 46-48
102-9
Supply chain
ESG Report 22 oneok.com/sustainability/supply-chain-management
102-10
Significant changes to the organization and its supply chain
No changes
102-12
External initiatives
ESG Report 13-14, 17, 24, 34, 39
102-13
Membership of associations
ESG Report 52 oneok.com/about-us/political-engagement
102-14
Statement from senior decision-maker
ESG Report 1-2
102-15
Key impacts, risks, and opportunities
2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K) 19-30
102-16
Values, principles, standards, and norms of behavior
ESG Report 9, 21-22
102-17
Mechanisms for advice and concerns about ethics
ESG Report 21-22
102-18
Governance structure
ESG Report 17-21
102-19
Delegating authority
ESG Report 17-21
102-20
Executive-level responsibility for economic, environmental, and social topics
ESG Report 17-21
102-21
Consulting stakeholders on economic, environmental, and social topics
ESG Report 13-14 2020 Proxy Statement 15
102-22
Composition of the highest governance body and its committees
ESG Report 17-18 2020 Proxy Statement 32-39
54
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) STANDARDS GRI 102 – GENER AL DISCLOSURES
55
GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
102-23
Chair of the highest governance body
2020 Proxy Statement 35
102-24
Nominating and selecting the highest governance body
2020 Proxy Statement 18-19, 31
102-25
Conflicts of interest
2020 Proxy Statement 13, 34-39, 74
102-26
Role of highest governance body in setting purpose, values, and strategy
ESG Report 17-21
102-27
Collective knowledge of highest governance body
ESG Report 19-21
102-28
Evaluating the highest governance body’s performance
2020 Proxy Statement 22
102-29
Identifying and managing economic, environmental, and social impacts
ESG Report 17-21 2020 Proxy Statement 22
102-30
Effectiveness of risk management processes
ESG Report 19-20 2020 Proxy Statement 15-16
102-31
Review of economic, environmental, and social topics
ESG Report 18-20
102-32
Highest governance body’s role in sustainability reporting
ESG Report 8
102-33
Communicating critical concerns
2020 Proxy Statement 22-23
102-35
Remuneration policies
2020 Proxy Statement 17-22, 45-70
102-36
Process for determining remuneration
2020 Proxy Statement 17-18, 22, 72
102-37
Stakeholders involvement in remuneration
2020 Proxy Statement 72-73 Form 8-K, May 20, 2020
102-38
Annual total compensation ratio
2020 Proxy Statement 70-71
102-39
Percentage increase in annual total compensation ratio
2020 Proxy Statement 70-71 2019 Proxy Statement 69-70
102-40
List of stakeholder groups
ESG Report 13-14 2020 Proxy Statement 15, 29
102-42
Identifying and selecting stakeholders
ESG Report 13-14
102-43
Approach to stakeholder engagement
ESG Report 13-14 2020 Proxy Statement 15, 29
102-46
Defining report content and topic boundaries
ESG Report 8
102-47
List of material topics
ESG Report 8
GRI 102 – GENER AL DISCLOSURES GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
102-49
Changes in reporting
ESG Report 62-66
102-50
Reporting period
ESG Report 7
102-52
Reporting cycle
ESG Report 7
102-53
Contact point for questions regarding the report
ESG Report 8
102-54
Claims of reporting in accordance with the GRI Standards
ESG Report 7
102-55
GRI content index
ESG Report 53-61
102-56
External assurance
ESG Report 8
GRI 201 – ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE 201-1
Direct economic value generated and distributed
2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K) 36, 41, 56-57
201-2
Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change
ESG Report 24 2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K) 24
201-3
Defined benefit plan obligations and other retirement plans
ESG Report 43 2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K) 30, 86-91 oneok.com/careers
201-4
Financial assistance received from government
2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K) 33, 92
GRI 202 – MARKET PRESENCE 202-2
Proportion of senior management hired from the local community
ESG Report 42
56
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) STANDARDS GRI 203 – INDIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACTS GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
203-1
Infrastructure investments and services supported
ESG Report 15-16, 46, 48-50 2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K) 34-35
203-2
Significant indirect economic impacts
ESG Report 11, 42, 46, 48-50 oneok.com
GRI 204 – PROCUREMENT PR ACTICES 204-1
Proportion of spending on local suppliers
oneok.com/sustainability/supply-chain-management
GRI 205 – ANTI- CORRUPTION 205-1
Operations assessed for risks related to corruption
ESG Report 19, 21-22
205-2
Communication and training about anticorruption policies and procedures
ESG Report 21
GRI 207 – TA X
57
207-1
Approach to tax
ESG Report 21
207-2
Tax governance, control, and risk management
ESG Report 21
207-3
Stakeholder engagement and management of concerns related to tax
ESG Report 21
207-4
Country-by-country reporting
ESG Report 21
GRI 302 – ENERGY GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
302-1
Energy consumption within the organization
ESG Report 32 ESG Performance Data Table
302-2
Energy consumption outside of the organization
ESG Report 27 ESG Performance Data Table
302-4
Reduction of energy consumption
ESG Report 32 ESG Performance Data Table
GRI 303 – WATER AND EFFLUENTS 303-1
Interaction with water as a shared resource
ESG Report 29
303-3
Water withdrawal
ESG Performance Data Table
303-4
Water discharge
ESG Performance Data Table
GRI 304 – BIODIVERSIT Y 304-1
Operational sites owned, leased, managed in, or adjacent to, protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value outside protected areas
ESG Report 28-30
304-2
Significant impacts of activities, products, and services on biodiversity
ESG Report 28-30
304-3
Habitats protected or restored
ESG Report 28-30 ESG Performance Data Table
58
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) STANDARDS GRI 305 – EMISSIONS GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
305-1
Direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions
ESG Report 27 ESG Performance Data Table
305-2
Energy indirect (Scope 2) GHG emissions
ESG Report 27 ESG Performance Data Table
305-3
Other indirect (Scope 3) GHG emissions
ESG Report 27 ESG Performance Data Table
305-4
GHG emissions intensity
ESG Performance Data Table
305-5
Reduction of GHG emissions
ESG Report 25-27
305-6
Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS)
ESG Report 27
305-7
Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and other significant air emissions
ESG Report 28 ESG Performance Data Table
GRI 306 – WASTE 306-2
Waste by type and disposal method
ESG Performance Data Table
306-3
Significant spills
ESG Performance Data Table
306-4
Transport of hazardous waste
ESG Performance Data Table
GRI 307 – EN VIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE 307-1
59
Non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations
ESG Performance Data Table
GRI 401 – EMPLOYMENT GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
401-1
New employee hires and employee turnover
ESG Report 46-48 ESG Performance Data Table
401-2
Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees
ESG Report 42-43 oneok.com/careers/benefits
401-3
Parental leave
ESG Report 43 oneok.com/careers/benefits
GRI 403 – OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFET Y 403-1
Occupational health and safety management system
ESG Report 34 oneok.com/sustainability/esh-management-system
403-2
Hazard identification, risk assessment and incident investigation
ESG Report 34 oneok.com/sustainability/esh-management-system
403-5
Worker training on occupational health and safety
ESG Report 37
403-6
Promotion of worker health
ESG Report 43 oneok.com/careers/benefits
403-8
Workers covered by an occupational health and safety management system
ESG Report 34 oneok.com/sustainability/esh-management-system
403-9
Work-related injuries
ESG Report 35 ESG Performance Data Table
403-10
Work-related ill health
ESG Report 35 ESG Performance Data Table
GRI 404 – TR AINING AND EDUCATION 404-2
Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs
ESG Report 45
404-3
Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews
ESG Report 42
60
GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) STANDARDS GRI 405 – DIVERSIT Y AND EQUAL OPPORTUNIT Y GRI STANDARD
GRI STANDARD DISCLOSURE
PAGE(S) OR EXTERNAL WEBSITE/REPORT
405-1
Diversity of governance bodies and employees
ESG Report 18, 47-48
GRI 408 – CHILD L ABOR 408-1
Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of child labor
ESG Report 21-22 oneok.com/sustainability/supply-chain-management
GRI 409 – FORCED OR COMPULSORY L ABOR 409-1
Operations and suppliers at significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labor
ESG Report 22 oneok.com/sustainability/supply-chain-management
GRI 410 – SECURIT Y PR ACTICES 410-1
Security personnel trained in human rights policies or procedures
ESG Report 21-22
GRI 412 – HUMAN RIGHTS ASSESSMENT 412-2
Employee training on human rights policies or procedures
ESG Report 21-22
412-3
Significant investment agreements and contracts that include human rights clauses or that underwent human rights screening
ESG Report 22 oneok.com/sustainability/supply-chain-management
GRI 413 – LOCAL COMMUNITIES 413-1
Operations with local community engagement, impact assessments, and development programs
ESG Report 13-14, 21-22, 49-50
GRI 415 – PUBLIC POLICY 415-1
61
Political contributions
ESG Report 52 ESG Performance Data Table oneok.com/about-us/political-engagement
SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (SASB) Reporting Alignment
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SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (SASB) REPORTING ALIGNMENT In 2020, ONEOK began reporting sustainability information using SASB’s standards for reporting financially material impacts. In addition to focusing on topics of financial materiality, SASB provides industry-specific disclosure standards which aim to drive consistency and comparability of sustainability reporting. The table below provides ONEOK’s performance data aligned with the recommended metrics for the SASB Extractives and Minerals Processing – Oil and Gas Midstream Sector (EM-MD, Version 2018-10). All data represents full-year 2019 information unless otherwise noted. Environmental data represents 100% of ONEOK operating assets.
SASB CODE AND DESCRIPTION
DISCLOSURE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS EM-MD-110a.1 (1) Gross global Scope 1 emissions
4.2 million metric tons CO2e
(2) Percentage methane
26.2%
(3) Percentage covered under emissions-limiting regulations
0% Additional information: ESG Performance Data Table: oneok.com/sustainability/performance-data
EM-MD-110a.2 Discussion of long- and short-term strategy or plan to manage Scope 1 emissions, emissions reduction targets, and an analysis of performance against those targets
We are members of Our Nation’s Energy Future Coalition (ONE Future) which sets goals for reducing methane emissions. As part of the coalition, ONEOK has committed to achieve a methane emissions intensity target for our natural gas transmission and storage operations by 2025. Additionally, ONEOK has participated in the EPA Natural Gas STAR program since 2000, and as a member of INGAA, has committed to continuously improve practices to minimize methane emissions. We established an internal environmental performance metric in 2014 that became a part of the short-term incentive plan performance criteria for all employees. The Agency Reportable Environmental Event Rate (AREER)* metric promotes a continued reduction in spills and emission events that are reportable to a state or federal agency. The 2019 target for AREER represented a 9.5% improvement over the previous year’s actual results. Since the implementation of the AREER metric, we have seen a year over year reduction in our rate of reportable environmental events. In 2019, we achieved our best AREER metric of 0.79. ONEOK’s 2020 AREER target is 0.71. Additional information: 2020 ESG Report, Pg. 26 *AREER: Total number of releases and excess emission events that trigger a federal, state or local environmental reporting requirement per 200,000 work hours.
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SASB CODE AND DESCRIPTION
DISCLOSURE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
AIR QUALITY EM-MD-120a.1 Air emissions of the following pollutants:
As reported to state and federal agencies:
(1) Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
7.8 thousand tons
(2) Sulfur dioxide SOX
0.2 thousand tons
(3) Volatile organic compounds (VOCS)
4.3 thousand tons
(4) Particulate matter (PM10)
0.2 thousand tons Additional information: ESG Performance Data Table: oneok.com/sustainability/performance-data
ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS EM-MD-160a.1 Description of environmental management policies and practices for active operations
ONEOK regularly assesses environmental performance across its operations and works to minimize and offset impacts to the environment. Conservation efforts include biodiversity, leak detection, recycling and waste reduction, and energy use management. ONEOK’s approach to land and water management specific to capital-growth projects includes evaluating sites that reduce impacts, activities focused on restoring habitats affected during construction, and assessing water use and opportunities for reduction. The environmental evaluation of a proposed project location typically involves a review for the presence of the following factors: (1) Threatened and Endangered (T&E) species presence (federally and state listed), (2) proximity to T&E critical habitat, (3) protected lands (state, federal and tribal), (4) documented resources of historical or cultural significance, (5) land use (e.g. forests, farmland and rangeland) and (6) proximity to populated areas. Wherever possible, ONEOK refrains from site selection in protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value. Additional information: 2020 ESG Report, Pg. 28-32
EM-MD-160a.1 Percentage of land owned, leased, and/or operated within areas of protected conservation status or endangered species habitat
ONEOK does not currently track.
EM-MD-160a.3 Terrestrial acreage disturbed, percentage of impacted area restored
13,705 acres restored associated with large pipeline projects
EM-MD-160a.4
Total above-ground hydrocarbon spills: 21 spills; 157 barrels (bbls) Volume in Arctic: 0 bbls
Number and aggregate volume of hydrocarbon spills, volume in Arctic, volume in Unusually Sensitive Areas (USAs), and volume recovered
Additional information: 2020 ESG Report, Pg. 30
Volume in USAs: ONEOK does not currently track. Volume recovered: ONEOK attempts to recover 100% of spilled volumes, however does not currently track exact totals. Additional information: ESG Performance Data Table: oneok.com/sustainability/performance-data
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SUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (SASB) REPORTING ALIGNMENT SASB CODE AND DESCRIPTION
DISCLOSURE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOR EM-MD-520a.1 Total amount of monetary losses as a result of legal proceedings associated with federal pipeline and storage regulations
ONEOK does not currently track.
OPERATIONAL SAFETY, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE EM-MD-540a.1 Number of reportable pipeline incidents, percentage significant
Data below as reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines (Form PHMSA F 7000-1.1) and Natural Gas Transmission and Gathering (Form PHMSA F 7100.2-1). Natural Gas Transmission and Regulated Gathering Incidents (defined in CFR* Part 191.3): 6 incidents; 0.0009 incidents per 1,000 miles Natural Gas Liquids Transmission Accidents (defined in CFR* Part 195.5): 12 accidents; 0.16 accidents per 1,000 miles *Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
EM-MD-540a.2 Percentage of natural gas and hazardous liquids pipelines inspected
Data below as reported to PHMSA, representing the percentage of pipelines that have been assessed in 2019 under ONEOK’s Integrity Management Program using inline inspection methods. ONEOK assesses 100% of all High Consequence Areas (HCAs) within the required regulatory timelines using multiple methods in accordance with CFR Part 195 or CFR Part 192. Natural gas liquids transmission pipelines: Approximately 35% of total pipeline miles Natural gas transmission pipelines: Approximately 15% of total pipeline miles
EM-MD-540a.3 Number of accident releases and non-accident releases from rail transportation
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Accident releases: 0 Non-accident releases: 0
SASB CODE AND DESCRIPTION
DISCLOSURE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
EM-MD-540a.4
ONEOK’s overall ESG structure emphasizes an integrated management system approach founded on continuous improvement. The company’s Environment, Safety and Health (ESH) Management System provides expectations and a framework for operating assets safely, reliably, profitably and in an environmentally sensitive manner. Guidance and oversight of ONEOK’s ESH and sustainability performance is provided by a cross-functional ESG Council, by ONEOK’s ESH Leadership Committee, and ultimately by the ONEOK Board of Directors.
Discussion of management systems used to integrate a culture of safety and emergency preparedness throughout the value chain and throughout project lifecycles
Additional information: 2020 ESG Report, 33-34
ACTIVITY METRIC EM-MD-000.A Total metric ton-kilometers of natural gas, crude oil, and refined petroleum products transported, by mode of transport
The metrics reported below are commonly used in the midstream industry for reporting pipeline transportation volumes. Natural gas liquids volumes below represent only Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-regulated pipeline volume, which accounts for the majority of ONEOK’s total NGL volume transported. Natural gas pipelines volume represents all interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines. Natural gas shipped on multiple pipeline systems could be double counted. Natural Gas Liquids: 204.84 billion bbl miles Natural Gas Pipelines: 1,615.4 billion cubic feet (BCF) Note: ONEOK does not report transported volume in metric ton-kilometers.
This table, and the data provided therein (the “Data”), is provided for informational purposes only. Neither ONEOK, Inc., nor any of its affiliates (collectively, “ONEOK”) makes, and hereby expressly disclaims, any representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the Data contained herein. ONEOK has no obligation or duty to (1) update or correct the Data, (2) provide additional details regarding the Data, or (3) continue to provide the Data, in any form, in the future. The table and Data may be modified, updated, changed, deleted or supplemented (collectively, “Modifications”) from time to time without notice and ONEOK reserves the right to make any such Modifications in its sole discretion. In some cases, the Data is based on information prepared by third party vendors and consultants of ONEOK and is not independently verified by ONEOK. The Data should not be interpreted as any form of guaranty or assurance of future results or trends. Unless otherwise provided, this table and the Data contained therein, is expressly not incorporated by reference into any filing of ONEOK made with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other filing, report, application or statement made by ONEOK to any federal, state, tribal or local governmental authority.
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100 West Fifth Street | Tulsa, OK 74103-4298 Post Office Box 871 | Tulsa, OK 74102-0871 oneok.com